In our mission to get today’s screen-savvy kids back outdoors and active, we have created a suite of mobile games that are specifically designed to work with the equipment found in your neighbourhood playground. And our research has shown that kids in a Biba-powered playground will play longer, harder and much more often.
And Biba games also have an important side benefit: they translate that healthy gameplay into a series of advanced analytics that park operators, schools boards and families can use to learn more about their community’s place spaces!
Working with PlayPower Inc – the world’s leading manufacturer of playgrounds and recreational equipment – more than 200 Biba playgrounds are already active in cities across North America, with many more to come in 2017.
Available on both iTunes and Google Play, the team at Biba have created a suite of augmented reality, imagination-driven playground games for parents to play with their children aged three to nine.
Biba games can be played on any playground, but they work best on playgrounds with our augmented reality markers installed: markers which can unlock new content, activate mini-games and reveal treasures when scanned. No special equipment required – just download the free app and go!
A Philosophy of Fun
As parents, we all want our kids to be getting the healthy, active, outdoor and social play that can only be found on a traditional playground. But our kids also live in a world where touchscreens can be a little too much fun and screen-time must be carefully managed.
Biba solves this dilemma by using a bit of digital gameplay in a smart phone that never leaves the parents’ hands. And our studies have shown that kids will play longer, harder and much more often in a Biba-powered playground. Here’s how:
Why We Do What We Do
Kids today are beset with digital distractions that get in the way of the healthy outdoor play parents know they need. Our team spent months working with parents, teachers, community groups and researchers to work out the best ways to combine digital fun and physical play. The result is a family-focused series of free-to-play games that will get kids active again!
Finding the Fun
Every Biba game is developed with a unique activity profile and follows a strict “90/10” rule… that is, kids must be physically active for at least 90% of the game, with only 10% of their attention ever spent with the screen. The result is “heads up” play that is best for the child, yet actively involves their parents, grandparent or caregiver.
Our games are best for kids aged 3 to 9 and run the range from obstacle courses to treasure hunt to make believe adventures to team play. We are also developing a suite of wholly inclusive games so that every child is a full participant in the fun, regardless of their level of ability.
If this sounds like something you would like to see in your community playground, please contact us today!
The Data Difference
We take children’s privacy and protection very seriously and have designed our games so that they are 100% compliant with COPPA and all other similar legislation. Any information generated by gameplay is encrypted, segmented and anonymized to ensure its security.
In aggregate, Biba games provide valuable and unique insights into how playground ecosystems function. We use this data to generate a playground profile for each community, where we can establish play patterns that describe peak hours, daily demographics, the influence of weather on playground attendance… or even show families personalized activity profiles. In age of big data, we can harness its power to make play work better for the people in your community.
Biba Games
Kids love our games and the good news is that parents do too!
Our games are built around a philosophy of embodied play that kindles the child’s imagination while also getting them active and engaged. We design our games by keeping in mind that children have a wide range of interests and an even broader idea of what is “fun”.
Biba’s design philosophy is rooted in years of motivational design and psychology research, and we have committed heavily to conducting parental focus groups, user testing with community partners, and physical activity research with child development specialists. Our findings not only strongly point to enjoyment of the product by kids and families, but also a confirmation that kids get more active on playgrounds when using it.
We are always launching new games, but here are few of the early favorites:
Dino Dig
Help your children discover (and uncover) any number of prehistoric beasts!
Drive!
Big time racing isn’t just for the big kids on this circuit!
Collectobots
Hide, seek, collect and care for Biblets living in the playground
Relay
Team-based collaborative play for the entire family
Go Seek
An augmented reality take on a classic game
Butterfly Bounty
Our first inclusive play experience, played at a walking pace
Charades
Head-to-head fun in a game where everyone wins
Click below to download any of our games – always fun and ALWAYS free!
Introducing the Play Tracker
Making it easy to manage screen time
Our Play Tracker gives parents full access to their child’s in-game progress in every Biba game, reminds them about play dates on the playground, lets them locate the nearest playground or park and, of course, acts as a one-stop shop for all newly released Biba games.
Fun fitness facts for the entire family
Kids won’t just love the games we make at Biba, they will also enjoy seeing their progress through a series of fun fitness facts calculated from their play. For parents, grandparents and caregivers, the Play Tracker gives them insight into each child’s progress and preferences, letting them plan each play date to maximize everyone’s fun.
Team
The Biba team is made up of an eclectic blend of digital professionals, cognitive psychologists, experiential designers and even a musician… all of whom share a passion in the conception, design and development of games for kids of all ages!
GREG ZESCHUK
Chairman
Dr. Zeschuk co-founded Bioware Corp. in 1995 and went on to produce a series of genre-defining video game titles that include Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect series. Following Bioware’s acquisition by Electronic Arts, Greg became a VP and General Manager of BioWare’s Austin studio. In 2013, as a means of commemorating his contributions to the video game industry as a whole, Greg received the Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Game Developers Choice Awards.
MATT TONER
CEO
Throughout his career, Matt has built businesses that specialize in the design of groundbreaking video games and new models for player engagement, as well as the production of innovative products ranging from data-driven audience applications to location-based consumer intelligence. As CEO, Matt is responsible for investor relations, business development, strategic partnerships, and product oversight. Matt spends much of his time shuttling between Silicon Valley and the company’s production studio in Vancouver.
RYAN NADEL
Founder
Ryan is an entrepreneur, investor and digital product manager with experience in founding startups and designing end to end technology solutions for high profile clients across multiple sectors through his consulting company 8 Leaf Digital Productions. Ryan focuses on customer experience and service design with an emphasis on a data informed design methodology. Ryan has worked with clients that include Telus, Random House Pantheon, The Gates Foundation, Columbia University, and the CBC.
LANCE DAVIS
CFO
Lance has consulted into the Vancouver game industry for over 20 years with particular emphasis upon assisting startups and early stage companies to establish their operations, to help them to develop their business plans and to work with them to identify and to garner the resources that they need to operate successfully. Lance is currently the Chair of the BC Interactive Task Force which lobbied successfully for the BC Interactive Tax Credit and is a member of the British Columbia Institute of Chartered Accountants.
MIKE ROSEN
Business Development Director
Formerly the Director of Project Management at one of Canada’s fastest growing retail companies, Mike oversaw the expansion of over 100+ bricks-and-mortar locations across Canada and the United States. Having made the switch to the digital media industry, Mike has worked on a variety of projects ranging from enhanced graphic novels to social media campaign management tools to bleeding-edge wearable technology apps. By leveraging his creativity and his people management skills, Mike has developed a proven track record of success.
DR. NIS BOJIN
Design Director
Nis has been a designer, strategist and writer in games and new media for 10 years, working on every aspect of product development from UX to content strategy, bringing a well-established pedigree in design and consulting for educational games and apps for kids K-12. With a body of published research behind him in game studies, language and design, Nis remains a member of numerous international game research and educational initiatives with partners ranging from the National Screen Institute to the Stanford Research Institute.
News
Curious as to the latest happenings in the smart playground space? Read more!